Back from Ovation to Alaska. Most amazing cruise ever.

[late2cruisin]

Were there 2 formal nights or only one? And how formal was it? (DH usually brings a jacket and tie, but if it's only 1 night it doesn't seem worth it...)

[Kathscof]

13 hours ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Ovation, Quantum, Serenade and Radiance are all scheduled to be sailing Alaska for the 2022 season.

I’m on the radiance in May! Yay! 

[rim140]

6 hours ago, grimaldi said:

Figured that. Thanks for confirming.

 

Did you do the Northstar at all? I'm curious about pricing onboard, were there lines that you saw, any deals that they offered?

The website shows $29 for the Northstar.

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, rim140 said:

The website shows $29 for the Northstar.

Did it always have a fee?

[reallyitsmema]

2 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Did it always have a fee?

 

No, but they charge a fee for the trip while the ship is at a glacier.  It is a longer ride and they take Northstar over the side too.  We have been on Northstar a lot on Anthem and they do not charge but it is a short, 9 minute ride just up and down, no more going over the side to the right and left so they can get more trips in for more passengers.  Northstar has always been a fee for the ships in the Asian market.

[crzndeb]

Glad you had a great cruise! Question. Did you eat in the MDR for dinner at all? I normally don’t eat in there, being solo, but since Windjammer is closed for dinner I may a few nights. Will they sit me at a table alone? I prefer not to eat with others. I do have Solarium Bistro booked a few nights on my B2B. Can’t wait to get on Ovation.

 

Thanks, Debbie

[Jasukkie]

13 hours ago, late2cruisin said:

Were there 2 formal nights or only one? And how formal was it? (DH usually brings a jacket and tie, but if it's only 1 night it doesn't seem worth it...)

I was on this sailing as well, just a wonderful time. There were two formal nights but honestly you'd be hard pressed to tell which ones they were. Some people dressed up every night, some went to the actual formal night in tee shirts. 

 

34 minutes ago, crzndeb said:

Glad you had a great cruise! Question. Did you eat in the MDR for dinner at all? I normally don’t eat in there, being solo, but since Windjammer is closed for dinner I may a few nights. Will they sit me at a table alone? I prefer not to eat with others. I do have Solarium Bistro booked a few nights on my B2B. Can’t wait to get on Ovation.

 

Thanks, Debbie

Yes, no problem being seated alone. There were two solos each at their own tables near us. If you have traditional dining I would go to the dining room after boarding and just make sure you have what you would like. My daughter and I were seated with a couple on Adventure which surprised me. If you have MyTime dining it won't be an issue. Service was next level quick and responsive in the main dining room. No need to hesitate if you aren't happy with your choice, replacement took no time at all.

[crzndeb]

27 minutes ago, Jasukkie said:

I was on this sailing as well, just a wonderful time. There were two formal nights but honestly you'd be hard pressed to tell which ones they were. Some people dressed up every night, some went to the actual formal night in tee shirts. 

 

Yes, no problem being seated alone. There were two solos each at their own tables near us. If you have traditional dining I would go to the dining room after boarding and just make sure you have what you would like. My daughter and I were seated with a couple on Adventure which surprised me. If you have MyTime dining it won't be an issue. Service was next level quick and responsive in the main dining room. No need to hesitate if you aren't happy with your choice, replacement took no time at all.

They only had Early traditional when I booked, and I thought about changing to MTD once onboard, but I heard it doesn’t open until 6:45, and that’s to late for me. I will stick with Early traditional at 5:30, and make sure I have a solo table. 
Thanks for the info.

[relmondcrsise]

I hate to ask this because I fear it will make me sound like a jerk who doesn't want to follow the rules, but I have an arrival time to the pier of 2pm (I booked last minute and this was the earliest offered), but my shuttle from the airport will get me to the pier at 11am.  Were they enforcing check-in times or will I be able to check in early?  I'd prefer not to have to wait for 3 hours at the pier (and there is nothing close by to walk to).  Thanks!  Your review has me very excited for this cruise! 

[reallyitsmema]

@ryano We have a star on our hands!  I don't want to post the picture without your permission.  The smile tells all though!

[sheryltx]

Your pictures look amazing! We're booked on Quantum of the Seas for our Alaskan cruise in May, 2022. We also decided on an inside virtual balcony cabin. Mostly to cut costs so that we can spend more on excursions. We have a large family and need two cabins (me, husband and 4 of our kids) and the excursions we're interested in are not inexpensive. I'm ok with that since it may be a once in a lifetime opportunity.  What was your impression on the virtual balcony? Would you recommend it? Thank you in advance.

[ryano]

On 9/27/2021 at 12:18 PM, reallyitsmema said:

@ryano We have a star on our hands!  I don't want to post the picture without your permission.  The smile tells all though!

 

@reallyitsmema oh whats another couple thousand or so among 5+ million LOL!  I was completely BLOWN away by that and wasnt expecting that at all.  All I did was send RC an email last week telling them how much I enjoyed my first solo cruise as a disabled cruiser and thanking them for being so accommodating and their excellent accessibility.   The crew was amazing and I feel they went well above and beyond taking care of me and I just wanted to let someone know.  Their social media team reached out to me Friday asking if they could share it sometime.  I had NO idea it would be like that!  

[ryano]

On 9/27/2021 at 11:13 PM, sheryltx said:

Your pictures look amazing! We're booked on Quantum of the Seas for our Alaskan cruise in May, 2022. We also decided on an inside virtual balcony cabin. Mostly to cut costs so that we can spend more on excursions. We have a large family and need two cabins (me, husband and 4 of our kids) and the excursions we're interested in are not inexpensive. I'm ok with that since it may be a once in a lifetime opportunity.  What was your impression on the virtual balcony? Would you recommend it? Thank you in advance.

 

@sheryltx I absolutely recommend the virtual balcony 🙂   Its a nice savings that allows money for other things and not to mention the weather wasnt exactly balcony enjoying weather.    Im pretty biased though as my cabins are 1.5X - 2X larger and I only spend about 6-8 hours in there only for sleeping and showering. The Quantum class has MANY places both inside and outside for Glacier and Inside Passage site viewing.   I found that deck 5 and the very back of the Windjammer outdoor seating was the best.  I just wished I had taken a better camera than a cell phone 

Edited September 29, 2021 by ryano

[ryano]

On 9/20/2021 at 7:04 PM, relmondcrsise said:

I hate to ask this because I fear it will make me sound like a jerk who doesn't want to follow the rules, but I have an arrival time to the pier of 2pm (I booked last minute and this was the earliest offered), but my shuttle from the airport will get me to the pier at 11am.  Were they enforcing check-in times or will I be able to check in early?  I'd prefer not to have to wait for 3 hours at the pier (and there is nothing close by to walk to).  Thanks!  Your review has me very excited for this cruise! 

 

They were absolutely enforcing check in times.   Several in my FB group had a 2pm check in and were onboard by 1:45 so just a little early.  

[reallyitsmema]

9 minutes ago, ryano said:

 

@reallyitsmema oh whats another couple thousand or so among 5+ million LOL!  I was completely BLOWN away by that and wasnt expecting that at all.  All I did was send RC an email last week telling them how much I enjoyed my first solo cruise as a disabled cruiser and thanking them for being so accommodating and their excellent accessibility.   The crew was amazing and I feel they went well above and beyond taking care of me and I just wanted to let someone know.  Their social media team reached out to me Friday asking if they could share it sometime.  I had NO idea it would be like that!  

 

They have been doing a great job highlighting people lately and it was nice to see someone I "know" so to speak. 🙂 

 

For others reading along, Royal Caribbean recently highlighted Ryan on a different site as one of their passenger profiles.  Some of you might have seen the picture too.

 

[ryano]

On 9/20/2021 at 3:59 AM, late2cruisin said:

Were there 2 formal nights or only one? And how formal was it? (DH usually brings a jacket and tie, but if it's only 1 night it doesn't seem worth it...)

 

Night two and six were formal and much to my surprise, a lot more people dressed up than I thought would.  

Edited September 29, 2021 by ryano

[ryano]

On 9/20/2021 at 5:06 PM, crzndeb said:

Glad you had a great cruise! Question. Did you eat in the MDR for dinner at all? I normally don’t eat in there, being solo, but since Windjammer is closed for dinner I may a few nights. Will they sit me at a table alone? I prefer not to eat with others. I do have Solarium Bistro booked a few nights on my B2B. Can’t wait to get on Ovation.

 

Thanks, Debbie

 

@crzndeb I had My Time Dining and I did eat in the MDR one night because I wanted escargot. I had a table alone  🙂  

[late2cruisin]

8 hours ago, ryano said:

 

Night two and six were formal and much to my surprise, a lot more people dressed up than I thought would.  

We're on the ship right now. Night 2 was "formal" and night 6 (tonight) says "smart casual" (so somewhere between formal and sloppy I guess.) On formal night, many men wore suits or jackets, many did not. I didn't see any tuxedos or fancy gowns.

[Junkhouse]

Vans rock!  Hopefully in Aug'22 we can take our bucket list cruise that was originally scheduled in Aug'20. 

[Biker19]

@viewsandqueues were there recently as well:

 

 

[Wink87]

On 9/19/2021 at 2:02 PM, reallyitsmema said:

 

Alaska just leaves me speechless, it is so gorgeous.  I really like that class of ship too.  We are, hopefully, on Quantum in Alaska May 2022.  We did Radiance the last time we did Alaska plus a cruise tour but we can't take that much time this time so will try a round trip Seattle instead of the one way.

 

Maybe you can book again in the future and your Mom will be able to go with you then.  I am trying to get my Mom to join us but she won't commit yet.

 

We are booked on the May 30 Alaska on Quantom. So looking forward to it!

[twangster]

On 9/19/2021 at 11:04 PM, ryano said:

 

 I weighed a lot of options and personally chose Ovation because I have no desire whatsoever to fly to Canada to take a cruise. Seattle was far enough. I wasn't even going to get off the ship there before we found out they didn't want us there this year anyway, even vaccinated and tested. Sitka was a great bonus.  Radiance class is nice but they are old and outdated now. Ovation blows them away in every way IMO, especially when it comes to dining options both included and specialty and even places to view the outside. There is no comparing anything on a Radiance class ship to the Solarium or Two70 on Ovation. I realize that may be a unpopular opinion but its all in what we are looking for and the ship and its amenities were really important. Ovation is perfect for Alaska.   I do realize the 1864 guests on a ship that holds over double that will come to an end though and then entire experience would be different. I wanted all the bells and whistles. All the technology.  Ovation blew me away 

 

A couple of us here understand the merits of Quantum class in Alaska.  Even the indoor pool area is floor to ceiling glass.  Myself and @Hoopster95  are fans of this class for the views combined with the technology and modern amenities.  Ovation is pretty great for Hawaii and New Zealand too.  Some of my most memorable recent cruises were on Quantum class.   Odyssey is a nice evolution for warmer climates too.   

[Biker19]

More videos from @viewsandqueues

 

 

[Biker19]

 

[Biker19]